FoodService Insight: Let’s Make A Deal

The first week of July 2011 produced two blockbuster deals in the restaurant industry, with theannouncements of the sale of both the Arby’s and California Pizza Kitchen chains to private equity firms.

Sandwich chain Arby’s, once part of the Wendy’s/Arby’s Group Inc. (and of Triarc Companies before that), is now owned by an affiliate of Roark Capital Group. Roark acquired the Wingstop chain in April 2010 and in June 2011 purchased the Il Fornaio/Corner Bakery Cafe operations. The company also owns FOCUS Brands, the operator of Cinnabon, Carvel Ice Cream, Moe’s Southwest Grill and others, and McAlister’s Corporation. At the end of the most recent fiscal quarter, there were 3,631 Arby’s restaurants.

Upscale pizza chain California Pizza Kitchen (CPK) was acquired by San Francisco-based Golden Gate Capital, a firm with extensive investments in both foodservice and retail. Current holdings include Macaroni Grill and On The Border in the restaurant industry, and Express, The Limited, J. Jill Stores and others in the apparel industry. Other investments are in software and IT services, electronics, semiconductors, and other channels. Golden Gate Capital’s home page notes that it specializes in four basic types of acquisition: public-to-private (CPK), corporate extractions (J. Jill, Macaroni Grill, On The Border), bankruptcy acquisitions (Eddie Bauer, Melita), and recapitalizations (Escalate Retail). There are currently 266 restaurants operating as part of the CPK company.

In addition to a lot of real estate changing hands, what does all of this buying and selling mean to the business community? For starters, the new owners are going to be analyzing their freshly acquired operations in depth, finding problems and developing solutions. Locations that aren’t producing well are likely to be closed, resulting in vacant storefronts. New management may be brought in from outside, a boon for executive search firms who can hook up with these funds. New distributors and service providers may be sought, providing growth opportunities for companies that can bring new economies to these operations. New hardware and software systems may be implemented to make the operations more efficient and profitable. New markets may be identified for targeted growth, a potential windfall for realtors and mall developers looking to fill their excess space.

The Chain Store Guide databases are refreshed weekly, allowing CSG customers to stay current with these changes and others.

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Linda has worked at Chain Store Guide for fifteen years. Prior to that, Linda worked as a research economist for the federal government, as an analyst for a management consulting firm, and as a freelance writer.